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Monday April 21, 2014 8:07 AM

Columbus’ annual pothole blitz is finished, but city crews will continue to fill craters that
pop up on city streets.

Workers filled 43,063 potholes between March 17 and last Monday — the four weeks Columbus set
aside for its annual “intensified pothole repair initiative.” During the first 11 weeks of the
year, they repaired 43,733 potholes.

The pothole blitz typically lasts two weeks, but it was stretched out to a month this year after
a harsh winter that left some road surfaces cracked and caving. Crews worked 24 hours a day for the
first two weeks and 12 hours a day for the final two weeks, the city said.

Potholes repaired this year nearly matched the number filled in the previous three years
combined. During a two-week effort last year, crews fixed 10,567.

The city’s “war on potholes” began in 2010, when 34,555 were filled after the snowiest February
in Columbus history. Since then, the city has undertaken the effort each year on top of a
more-robust plan to repave streets.

The city set aside $33 million in its capital budget this year to resurface 233 lane-miles of
streets.

• • •

Car2Go might be on the move.

The car-sharing company, which launched last fall in Columbus with 250 Smart cars, has made
presentations in Grandview Heights, where the city council is weighing whether to hash out a
parking agreement similar to the one the company has with Columbus.

In Columbus, Car2Go pays for parking at meters through an account with the city and passes on
the cost to customers through a membership fee and the charge for use of the vehicles.

Grandview Heights doesn’t have meters, though, said Patrik Bowman, the city’s director of
administration and development. It has one permit parking area, and it would have to make an
exception for the cars to violate the two-hour limit on Grandview Avenue.

“They think they have a lot of support in town. I know they’ve gotten a lot of calls,” Bowman
said.

• • •

The app-based car services Uber and Lyft have caused a lot of grumbling among Columbus’ current
stock of vehicle-for-hire companies, but they apparently are making at least a few people
happy.

Recent stories about the city’s efforts to stop Uber from operating while officials write new
regulations to cover the companies sparked a handful of supportive responses from riders.

Among those who are unhappy with the city’s response are several users who are blind. Three
emailed the Insider to say they want the companies to operate in Columbus.

“This kind of system enables us to take trips without having to carry cash,” said Eric Duffy,
the president of the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio. “I can’t take a short trip in a taxi
unless I have cash.”

He said the apps are accessible to the blind through use of voice-over features on smartphones.
Riders pay using a credit card that is registered through the app.

“If we as a city want to attract things like major conventions and other tourism, we need to act
like a big city and welcome innovative services,” Duffy said.